Fantasy Football Picks: Top DraftKings NFL DFS Value Plays for Week 18

We can all figure out who the studs are on a football slate. No one has to go out of their way to tell you to play Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen on a particular slate. What really takes the effort is combing through the player pool and figuring out who are some of the best values on the board ahead of the Sunday slate. That’s what we’ll do in this piece each and every week. I’ll help you save some salary while hopefully not skimping on the fantasy production.

Let’s get into some of the best value plays at each position for the Week 18 main slate on DraftKings.

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Quarterback

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams, $6,000 — With so many landmines to avoid in Week 18, it’s always a safe play to roster guys who have something to play for. Smith and the Seahawks are a perfect example of that, as they need to win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Smith has been extremely hit or miss over the second half of the season but I like him against the Rams this week. When these teams met back in Week 13, Smith had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 367 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for 27.98 DKFP. Once owning one of the league's best pass-rushing units, the Rams have nearly fallen off the map when it comes to that. With a clean pocket, Smith has a 74.8% completion rate with 22 of his 29 passing touchdowns and averaging 7.8 yards per pass attempt. Against a Rams team with nothing to play for, I like Smith to be extremely relevant from a fantasy perspective.

Other Option – Russell Wilson ($5,400) vs. LAC

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Running Back

Jonathan Williams, Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys, $4,300 — We got word Friday afternoon that the Commanders ruled out Brian Robinson for Week 18. That added more injuries to the running back position, as they were already without Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. That now leaves Williams as their three down back against the Cowboys on Sunday. Williams had been getting into the mix more lately with the recent injuries, logging 12 carries for 43 yards and five catches for an additional 31. Volume will be king in this spot, despite the Cowboys being a strong team against the run. The Cowboys do still have a shot at improving their playoff position, so they’ll be playing their starters throughout the game. That being said, Williams should handle the bulk of the work and can catch out of the backfield. It’s a hard option to steer away from when he’s only $300 off the stone minimum in salary.

Other Options – Zack Moss ($5,200) vs. HOU

Wide Receiver

Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers, $4,200 — Shaheed has solidified himself as the WR2 in this Saints offense as of late. Drawing at least four targets in four straight games, Shaheed has made 17 catches for 290 yards and a touchdown in that span. He’s been one of the better values at the wide receiver position for weeks now, as he’s averaged 13 DKFP since Week 13 and has made a catch of at least 35 yards in four of his last five games. Shaheed lines up all over the field and just logged 14 snaps in the slot last week, which was his highest of the season. Going against a very generous Panthers secondary, he could blow up one final time during his second-half fantasy surge.

Other Options – Tyquan Thornton ($3,300) at BUF

Tight End

Jelani Woods, Indianapolis Colts vs. Houston Texans $2,900 – Woods is expected to once again be the starting tight end for the Colts, as Kylen Granson was ruled out. Woods hasn’t been a major factor offensively as a starter, but he has seen nine targets in two games since taking the TE1 role. The Texans aren’t looking to win this game with the No. 1 draft pick hanging in the balance, so we could see a fairly lopsided offensive attack from the Colts (weird sentence to write). The Texans have allowed over 12 DKFP to the tight end position this season and Woods is drawing the majority of the tight end targets. With Granson out, Mo Alie-Cox has only seen three targets in Weeks 16 & 17.

Other Options – Hayden Hurst ($3,100) vs. BAL

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